[Abstract] As an animation powerhouse, Japan produces different types of animation every year, and there is a type of animation that is different from the animation of other countries and has strong national characteristics, which is an animation that contains a strong sense of the end of the world.
[ Keywords] Japanese animation; A sense of the end times; Apocalyptic complex
First, the background of the study of apocalyptic animation
1. Definition of apocalyptic animation
From the "Space Battleship Yamato" and "As boy with iron arms" that are well known to the earliest audiences of China's post-70s and post-80s generations, we can see the enthusiasm of Japanese animation for the "end times". The unique animation genre of apocalyptic animation usually presents a depressed and negative atmosphere to the audience, such as the imminent destruction of the world, the imminent demise of mankind, or the control of evil forces. This atmosphere makes the audience feel like they want to escape, when the hero or leader appears in the animation and begins the process of rebellion in order to break this depression. The classification of Japanese animation is often not very clear, take "Evangelion" for example, which is infiltrated with many contents, such as: war, religion, ethics and so on. Therefore, if you simply study the apocalyptic animation in Japanese animation, you cannot reflect this unique complex in Japan, because many anime in Japan contain apocalyptic content. Therefore, this article will focus on analyzing the sense of apocalypse in Japanese animation.
2. The reason why Japanese anime is keen to express the sense of the end of the world
If you want to say why Japanese animation is so keen on the apocalyptic complex, it is inseparable from Japan's geographical environment and historical reasons. As an island country, Japan has a small land area, where resources are scarce, and many raw materials need to be imported. Moreover, Japan is a country with frequent natural disasters, typhoons, volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis often affect the Japanese archipelago. So for the Japanese people, despite the development of the Japanese economy, they still have no sense of security, and this sense of distress has led to a strong sense of crisis in the Japanese people, "Tokyo Earthquake 8.0" is a cartoon set in the Tokyo area. Thinking of danger in times of peace is a major feature of the Japanese nation. However, this kind of instability caused by the geographical environment is only one reason for the Strong Sense of the End times of the Japanese people, and another important reason is related to the history of Japan. As a defeated country in World War II, Japan suffered serious losses, and the japanese people's body and mind were severely damaged. As a result, they fear the demise of their country more than other countries. For example, in the cartoon Rebel Ruluxiu, Japan is set to be occupied by the Kingdom of Britannia and its name is changed to District 11. This kind of occupation by other countries is also expressed in the animated film "Valley of the Wind". This is even confirmed by the appearance in some animated works of episodes in which certain countries have disappeared from the earth. Therefore, in Japanese literature, film and television works, and works of art, there is often a sense of the end of the world permeating them.
Cherry blossoms are the national flower of ordinary people in Japan, and the flowers bloom in full bloom, but they wither away after a short flowering period. Japanese people love cherry blossoms, and the cherry blossom-like view of death has also influenced the Japanese view of life. Although the Japanese people have a heavier sense of crisis than the people of other countries due to various factors, they are equally calm in the face of death and destruction, because the concepts of "death is rebirth" and "death and rebirth" are deeply imprinted in the hearts of Japanese people. In Saint Seiya Pluto, the Virgo Golden Saint Seiya Saga dies under the falling cherry blossoms in order to protect Athena in the underworld. In the animated film "2077 Japan Lockdown", when the Japanese people are gradually becoming mechanical, Maria and her partners fight for their lives, returning the Japanese land to humans and giving new life. These episodes all reflect the Japanese people's cherry blossom-like view of death.
Second, the meaning of the sense of the end of the world in Japanese animation
1. The aesthetic significance of "the end times"
The development of the Japanese animation industry is quite mature, the age classification of the audience is very meticulous, and there are many types of animation films. In the eyes of ordinary people, animation is used for entertainment and passing time, but the meticulous classification of Japanese animation breaks this conventional view, especially animation with a strong sense of the end of the world has a different aesthetic significance from other types of animation. The themes revealed by this complex are deep and beautiful, and even more evocative. After watching this kind of animation, the audience will not laugh like other animations, and that kind of apocalyptic complex will enter the audience's heart, and the spirit of fighting in the difficult situation expressed in the animation will make the audience remember it endlessly after watching it.
2. The relevance of "the end times"
On a deeper level, the strong sense of doom in Japanese animation is actually a reflection on the real world. The continuous development of science and technology has led to human indifference, and the relationship between people is no longer as close as it used to be. The improvement of the quality of life has led to the pollution of the environment and the destruction of the ecological balance, and human beings are destroying the earth on which they depend while enjoying a rich material life. Such questions are often hinted at in animations, and these are the practical implications of the apocalyptic sense of animation.
Third, the main features of Japanese apocalyptic animation
1. Growth and salvation are constant topics
(1) Most of them take teenagers as the protagonists to shoulder the heavy responsibility of saving the world. In cartoons such as Astro Boy, Mobile Suit Gundam, Saint Seiya, Legend of the Wing God, and Rebel Luluxiu, although many viewers have different classifications of these animations, it is not difficult to see that these animations contain a certain sense of the end times, and the protagonists of these animations are young boys and girls. For example, "Sailor Moon", this animation is usually classified as a girl type of cartoon, but after careful analysis, it can be found that although the protagonists are several beautiful girls, they are actually fighting against the dark forces to defend their homes and friends. Putting teenagers in charge of saving the world and mankind is a major feature of Japan's apocalyptic complex animation.
(2) Teenagers continue to grow up in the inner contradiction struggle and complete self-redemption.
In cartoons with a strong sense of doom, teenagers are often forced to play the role of savior protagonist in involuntary circumstances, such as the male protagonist of "Evangelion". There is a certain advantage to setting the protagonist in this way, because it can show the protagonist's gradual growth from passive and immature at the beginning to a responsible and responsible leader.
Young people who have taken on heavy responsibilities have experienced pain and frustration in one battle after another, and they have been confident, contradictory, withdrawn, and desperate. Every battle is an experience that makes him more confident and strong in the process of salvation. At the same time as saving the world, it also completes the redemption of the inner growth of the self. Japanese animation does not directly preach, but inadvertently shows the main line of growth, and this inner growth of the protagonist can resonate with the audience.
2. The perfect match between the end times and machinery
(1) In the process of salvation in the last days, robots are often used as the medium.
Whether it is "Mobile Suit Gundam", "Evangelion", "Rebellious Luluxiu" or "Legend of the Wing God", these sci-fi animations have very advanced robots or robot-like fighter armor. These high-performance robots become an important medium to help the protagonist save the world, and by driving and manipulating these robots, the protagonist can gain great power to engage the enemy or the invaders. Although Tokyo Earthquake 8.0 is not a sci-fi anime, there are still scenes in which robots participate in earthquake rescue operations.
(2) Human beings are mechanized and electronic.
In Ghost in the Shell, the heroine Suzi and others are characters who are righteously integrated, and this plot that directly changes human characteristics is also reflected in "2077 Japan Lockdown", and all Japanese people are gradually mechanized through drug injection without knowing it, and eventually become machines. Changing the attributes of human beings is often seen in cartoons with a sense of doom. Human beings are no longer human beings, which is a heavy topic in itself, and setting such a plot in an animation with a sense of doom can render the atmosphere of sadness more vigorously and drive the audience's emotions.
3. Focus on teamwork
In the apocalyptic type of cartoons, there is a great emphasis on creating miracles through teamwork. Taking "Ghost in the Shell" as an example, all the personnel of the Nine Lessons of Public Security have different divisions of labor, perform their duties when encountering cases, and jointly complete tasks. The same is true of Evangelion, not just the 3 teenagers driving the EVA, but also a huge organization behind them. In Saint Seiya, 5 Bronze Saint Seiya and 12 Golden Saint Seiya work together to protect Athena. These episodes all reflect the importance of teamwork.
4. The end times and material mourning
In Japanese cartoons with a sense of the end of the world, they are very good at portraying emotions, and the material mourning complex runs through them. The Master of Japanese Sinology, Honju Nobunaga, believes that the purpose of Japanese literary creation is "material mourning". Animation as an art style is of course no exception, the human feelings, human nature is delicately displayed, in the context of the end times, whether it is the inner feelings of individuals or the emotions between people will focus on performance, especially when the great difficulties come. In "Tokyo Earthquake 8.0", the relationship between the wayward sister and the sensible brother is strengthened by the disaster, and then the separation of life and death pushes the sister-brother relationship to a climax. In Evangelion, when His father asks him to destroy an EVA that has been captured by the Apostles, he refuses to obey orders because he knows that the EVA contains a teenager his age.
Such an example is also reflected in Japanese apocalyptic films, and the film "The Sinking of Japan", based on the novel, also focuses on emotional portrayal in the context of the end times. The film's Japan will be completely sunk in the sea within a year, and the film not only shows the disaster scene, but focuses on the transformation of people's small love into great love in the face of great disaster, which is what Japanese apocalyptic works are better at expressing.
The United States is also a country with a high production of disaster films, war films, and science fiction films, and there are also a large number of apocalyptic films, television or animation works. But compared with Japan, although American films also show human emotions, more ink is placed on disasters and overcoming disasters.
Fourth, the enlightenment brought to us by the sense of apocalypse in Japanese animation
1. Fully display humanistic care in the context of the end times In this type of animation, there is often a delicate humanistic care behind the depiction of war and disaster scenes. In this context, the kind of mutual care, support, and concern is better than any other moment, in addition to the above-mentioned feelings between people are stronger than ever, and there is also a point that the growth of plants and animals sets off another feeling. In Evangelion, the watermelon planted by the blessing, and in "2077 Japan Lockdown", the butterflies flying at the end of the story symbolize life, symbolizing people's desire for life and rebirth. The appearance of a plant, an animal in other cartoons may not make people think deeper, but in the context of the end times, when there are things that symbolize new life in scenes such as disasters and wars, it will be more comprehensible than to use language to narrate.
2. The sense of the end times opens a window for adults
The apocalyptic complex in Japanese animation is undoubtedly a prime example of adult animation. The grading system of Japanese animation is very clear, and the animation of the theme of the end of the world can be said to open a window for adults. In today's era of accelerated pace of life and increasing pressure, the apocalyptic complex shows a strong postmodernist feeling. Many adults get a kind of catharsis in the process of enjoying this type of animation, which is very different from watching a light-hearted and humorous type of cartoon. Because the leading characters who break the status quo and rise up to rebel in the animation of the apocalyptic complex will make people have a strong sense of substitution, the characters in the animation successfully resist and complete one difficult task after another, which can allow adults to release their fatigue and pressure in the viewing process.
Conclusion
Due to its unique geographical environment and historical reasons, Japan has created a strong apocalyptic complex in some animation works, and animation with a sense of doom is often a critique and reflection on the real world, with a unique postmodernist feeling. Nowadays, the development of Japanese apocalyptic animation is very mature, but these animations often contain some violent, bloody and other scenes that are not conducive to teenagers' viewing, which is a shortcoming of Japanese apocalyptic animation. Nevertheless, we cannot deny that the charm of the apocalyptic sense in Japanese animation is unmatched by other countries. We can learn from the profound theme ideas in Japanese apocalyptic animation to create animation works with depth and connotation.
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